


The Transfer Trouble

by hexicity



Series: Work Environment [2]
Category: Shadowhunters
Genre: Alec Is Upset, Angst, Human AU, Hurt/Comfort, Jace is Adorable, Lots Of Problems TBH, M/M, Magnus is Stressed, Misunderstandings, Pining, Secrets, Sickfic, Stress, slowburn, work au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-06 08:48:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10330922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hexicity/pseuds/hexicity
Summary: Magnus has to transfer an employee. Alec is confused about everything Magnus does, and confused about his own feelings. Simon is sick and Jace is trying his best not to act concerned. It's a rough week for everyone.





	

“Did the last memo Aldertree sent out sound passive aggressive to you? Do you think it was about me?” 

Alec looks away from his computer screen to where Jace sits, not making any effort to do any work, and bites his lip anxiously. He’s been out of sorts since visiting corporate last week, and it’s pretty rare to see Jace not oozing confidence. So Alec sifts through the papers on his desk until he finds the most recent memo and reads it aloud. 

“‘Attention all employees, just a reminder that company computers are meant strictly for business. Any extraneous streaming or downloading for personal use should be done on personal computers, as it slows down the connection for your fellow employees.’” Alec glances back up at his brother. “Why would that be about you?” 

“Because I illegally download music all the time on my work computer!” Jace says, his voice lowered dramatically. “Do you think he knows?” 

“He doesn’t know.” Alec sighs. “He would’ve told you if he knows.”

“Or maybe he’s holding out.” Jace counters. “Until I do something worse. And then he’ll have extra leverage on me.” 

“I think you’re giving Aldertree a bit more credit than he deserves. He’s just not that smart.”

Things have been different since last week. Aldertree must have said something that really shook Jace up, but he refuses to tell Alec what it is. Jace has been noticeably more anxious over the last week, acting as if every little slip-up was going to get him fired. 

The mood between Alec and Magnus has been weird, too. Ever since what Simon had said over the phone in Magnus’ office, Magnus has been strangely distant from Alec. Not ignoring him, per say, but definitely not engaging him as much as usual. Alec wonders if he overstepped somehow, said something that rubbed Magnus the wrong way. 

He wishes it would resolve. He misses Magnus. 

“Guys,” Simon appears by their desk cluster. He looks tired, and Alec wonders if there’s been an influx of work for him since the interns left. “Conference room meeting. Just HR. Find Lydia.”

“Lydia’s out sick.” Jace informs him, pointing at her vacated desk. 

“Oh.” Simon blinks. “Oh, yeah. I knew that. She called in.” 

“Losing your edge, huh Lewis?” Jace gives him a pitying frown. “Well, you had a good run. We’ll think of you when you’re inevitably replaced by a younger, faster new employee.”

“Kind of like what would’ve happened to you last week if I hadn’t helped?” Simon muses, and for some reason that shuts Jace up entirely. Simon looks at Alec. “Bring your stuff.” 

So Alec gathers his stuff and accompanies his tense brother to the conference room. Magnus is already set up, his laptop open and awaiting work in front of him with Simon at his side. Magnus has a strained look on his face, and Alec wonders what the crisis is this time.

“Alright.” Magnus claps his hands together, which makes Simon flinch. “Bad news time. Corporate wants me to choose someone to transfer to the Boston branch by tomorrow, and honestly I have no earthly idea of who that should be.” 

“Oh.” Alec and Jace exchange looks, both of them equally surprised. They haven’t lost anyone in the office for months, not since Meliorn quit to pursue music. Alec doesn’t understand why corporate is choosing to do this now. 

“Yes.” Magnus sighs, and he looks a little sad. He loves all of his employees, and Alec can imagine how much this kills him. “So, I need your help. Corporate wants us to make the decision based on work performance. Boston needs someone capable, someone who’s good with customer relations. Apparently those weirdos can’t get customers to like them.”

“What departments are they lacking in?” Alec asks. 

“Uh,” Simon takes a second to rifle through papers, which is unlike him. Usually he has an answer ready. “Accounting and sales. I think they’d prefer, uh--” Before Simon can finish, a forceful sneeze escapes him. “Shit, sorry. They’d prefer sales.”

“Bless you.” Magnus says absentmindedly, his eyes fixed on his laptop screen. “The memo they sent me says that they don’t necessarily need someone from our sales department, just someone who can adapt to sales.” 

“So not us.” Jace blurts hastily. “I mean, not me. I can’t--I can’t do sales.” 

“Yeah, and I need you for sneaking in alcohol when corporate bans it at company parties.” Magnus agrees with a teasing grin. Alec relaxes a little. “Okay, we can cross Jace off the list.” 

Turns out there’s an actual list, with all of their names on it. Simon promptly crosses out Jace’s name, which is near the middle. Alec glances over and sees his own name near the top. He tries not to think about what that means. 

“Our HR department is smaller than most branches.” Simon supplies, showing Magnus something in his binder. “And we can’t really afford t--to--” He successfully stifles another couple of sneezes, his fingers going up to rub at his temple. “Sorry. We can’t afford to lose anyone in HR.” 

“Are you _sick?”_ Jace asks, sounding astonished. “Can you even get sick?” 

“I’m not.” Simon insists immediately. He looks at Magnus, who’s looking at him with some concern. “I’m not, I swear. I’m okay.” 

“You do look sick.” Magnus murmurs. “And you sound sick. How long have you been sick? I didn’t even notice--”

“I’m not sick.” Simon presses, but the more Alec looks at him the more he realizes how horrible he looks. He’s pale, there are dark circles beneath his glassy eyes, and his nose is slightly red from irritation. The same way Lydia had looked the day before.

“I think you’ve caught the same bug Lydia has, Simon.” Alec says sympathetically.

“Maybe I should send you home…” Magnus murmurs to himself, but Alec can see the conflict in his eyes. Simon is vital to the office. They’d been near disaster last week, and that was when Simon was only gone for three hours late in the day. This would be an entire workday without Simon, before schedules could be confirmed or decisions could be made. 

“You can’t.” Simon’s tone sounds near pleading. “I’ve never missed a day. And you know what almost happened last week without me--”

“What happened last week?” Jace asks, oblivious. 

“--I need to stay. Magnus, please. I can work, I can--” His voice breaks and a thick cough interrupts his plea. Magnus puts a hand on his shoulder, halting any further argument.

“Alright.” Magnus allows. “You’re staying. To be quite honest, I can’t operate without you, as sad as that is. Just take it easy, okay?”

“Yeah.” Simon nods, seemingly relieved. Alec sometimes wonders what it is about Simon that makes him so attached to work, so unable to take time off. Alec had once heard a rumor that Simon came to work once with a broken wrist, and he hadn’t gone to the hospital until the work day was over. 

“Okay.” Magnus shifts his focus back to the problem at hand. “So cross off Alec and Lydia as well. And cross off yourself, Simon, obviously. So now we need to go one by one through our employees. Maybe do some interviews. God, I wish Lydia were here. But she isn’t, so Alec, meet me in my office. Okay?” 

“Why not me?” Jace asks, sounding wounded. 

“You’re too close with certain people.” Magnus explains, and multiple names immediately pop into Alec’s head. “Alec can be more impartial.” 

“You’re right.” Jace agrees with a solemn nod. “I’d only settle for transferring Simon.”

“Then who would schedule your meetings with Magnus where he promises not to move your desk away from Alec’s?” Simon retorts, and Alec is glad to see that Simon feels well enough to argue with Jace. 

“Alright.” Magnus stands up. “Let’s ruin someone’s day!”

“That’s the spirit.”

They reconvene ten minutes later in the conference room, Alec with customer service reports in front of him and Magnus with sales numbers. It’s quiet, the room lacking Magnus’ usual chatter and joking. The only sound is the tapping of fingers on keys and Simon’s persistent sniffling. 

Alec feels uneasy. The comment that Magnus had made about wishing Lydia were here is running on repeat in Alec’s mind. Logically, he knows that Lydia probably would be the best person for the job. It makes sense that Magnus would want her help. 

But Alec wonders if Magnus is trying to avoid him. If he put Alec’s name on the top of the list because he really does want him transferred. He’s glad Simon is with them now, even if he’s making Alec glad to have gotten his flu shot last month. 

“I think we should talk to Clary first,” Simon proposes, “because we need our IT girl. We should be able to cross her off the list.” 

“Alright.” Magnus cracks his knuckles like he’s about to wrestle a bear. “Let’s do this.” 

Clary bounces in, chattering for a good two minutes about Maia and their anniversary and her plans to take her girlfriend out to dinner. She seems as surprised as Alec had been to hear about the transfer, and she immediately begins explaining why she can’t leave. 

“I can’t move to Boston.” She says firmly. “I have too many people here. Maia, my mom, Simon.”

“Love you too, Fray.” Simon returns. 

“I’m at a good place right now. I can’t move.” She finishes. 

“Well, the good news is that we can’t afford to lose our IT girl.” Magnus says, and Clary visibly relaxes. “And we just needed to make sure that you were feeling secure here. Uh, do you have any idea of who would be willing to transfer?” 

Clary smiles a little. “You’re asking me who you should choose to go?”

Magnus groans. “Just suggest.” 

Clary thinks about it, turning in her seat to survey the office. She occasionally shakes her head when her eyes land on certain people, probably crossing them off in a mental list similar to the one Simon has. 

“Honestly?” Clary turns back around and gives Magnus an apologetic look. “I don’t think anyone wants to leave.”

That deduction turns out to be extremely accurate. Maia doesn’t want to leave because of Clary, Raj doesn’t want to leave because of his siblings, Gretel doesn’t want to leave because of her apartment lease and so on and so on until the entire list is crossed off and Magnus is face down on the table. 

“I can’t do this!” He groans. “I can’t tear people away from family or relationships or--or apartments. I won’t be that person, I won’t.”

“There’s gotta be someone.” Simon murmurs to himself, flipping through his notes to review. “Maybe we could--ah--could-- _achoo!”_

“Bless you.” Magnus hands his assistant a tissue from the rapidly-emptying box on the table. “Go take a break, my poor little workaholic. Get some tea.” 

Simon hesitantly departs, glancing back at his boss with worry. Alec shifts in his seat. He’s unsure what to say to Magnus. Alec has never been very good at providing comfort, and he’s not even sure what comfort can possibly be found in the current situation.

Everyone had genuinely given a good reason for why they couldn’t move. Alec knows that if someone is picked, they may just quit and Magnus will have to pick someone new. There was a possibility of losing more than one employee, and Alec knows that Magnus is likely terrified. 

“Maybe I should just go.” Magnus says eventually, huffing a bitter laugh. “Sure would be a lot easier.”

“What?”

“I mean, I miss sales sometimes. I never get to work with fashion directly anymore. And I love Boston. There’s so much history and lobster restaurants.” Magnus muses, sounding more and more serious as he goes on. Alec feels an uneasy terror in his stomach and he tries to ignore it, tries not to imagine what work would be like without Magnus as the boss. 

“You can’t--” Alec begins, but Magnus swiftly cuts him off. 

“I’m not being serious, Alec, don’t worry. Look, I’m going to go try to narrow this down. Can you and Jace send me the customer reports that you have?”

“Uh,” Alec feels like he should try again to dissuade Magnus from the track he’d been on, but Magnus has shifted away from the topic. “Yeah, okay. No problem.”

He heads back to his desk and collapses across from Jace, who’s actually working. Alec waits for him to finish typing before speaking because Jace’s concentration is often difficult for him to find and maintain. 

“What are you so focused on?” Alec asks, chin propped on his hand. He doesn’t feel like working. Evidently, he and Jace have switched places. 

“Monthly report.” Jace informs him, sending the job to the printer. “Because I am an overachiever and Lydia isn’t here, so someone needs to be the new Lydia. I can’t do her voice yet, but trust me when I tell you I am working as hard as she does. Maybe even harder.”

“Wow.”

“What’s wrong?” Jace looks up at him. “Did you decide who to transfer?”

“Nope. And Magnus is torturing himself about it.” Alec rubs at his forehead. “I’ll never understand him, I guess. He says one thing and then insists it was just a joke, he’s so damn misleading--”

“Woah, dude. What did he say to make you so pissed?” 

“Nothing.” Alec lies. He’s not about to tell Jace that their boss wants to quit, because Jace will probably accidentally mention it and then there would be mutiny. So he just shakes his head and turns his attention to his computer. “I just wish he would be clearer.” 

“Who?” Simon appears at their desk, papers in hand. He drops them on Jace’s desk. “Here, I didn’t want anyone to take them from the printer.”

“Jesus, dude, you look like you’re about to pass out.” Jace observes, and Alec has to agree. Simon’s usually messy hair is somehow even messier, his nose redder, and his cheeks beginning to turn a shade of light pink from what Alec assumes is a fever. He looks unsteady on his feet and he sounds even worse when he talks. 

Alec doesn’t know why Simon insists on torturing himself. At this point in the day, things would be just manageable enough for him to go home. But of course they’d have to drag him from the office kicking and screaming, so he stays and suffers. 

“I’m fine.” Simon assures them, but he sounds less determined than he had earlier. “Um, Alec? Is Magnus okay?” 

Alec considers taking Simon into the break room and telling him what Magnus had said. If anyone can talk Magnus out of it, it’s definitely Simon. But on the other hand, Magnus may have actually been joking. And Simon doesn’t exactly need more stress. 

“He’s alright. Stressed, I think. But he should be okay when this is all over.” 

The sound of the printer running across the office makes Simon look up, like Pavlov’s dogs, and he’s about to retrieve whatever is in the tray before Alec puts a hand up to halt him.

“I’ll get it, Simon. You should sit.” 

“I can--”

“Just sit,” Jace interjects, motioning for Alec’s empty chair, “I don’t want to be responsible if you faint.”

Alec watches Simon reluctantly take a seat in his chair and immediately muffle a harsh cough in the crook of his arm. He really looks miserable. Jace picks up an unopened tissue box from beneath his desk and tosses it at Simon, who manages to catch it with minimal fumbling.

“I ran out,” Simon says with a sniffle, “where did you find these?”

“Supply closet upstairs.” Jace says with a nonchalant shrug. Alec is shocked, to be entirely honest. The supply closet upstairs is only accessible for custodians who know the code. Which means Jace walked upstairs, found a custodian, asked for access, and grabbed a box of tissues. For Simon. 

“Thank you.” Simon says with a tiny smile. “Maybe when you get sick, I could steal some aspirin from CVS.” 

“So you admit you’re sick?” Jace points out with a triumphant smile. 

Alec chooses this point to walk to the printer, shaking his head and wondering what they hell happened to the Jace and Simon he knew at the corporate trip and who these two freaks are. 

He makes a few rounds of deliveries for people, dropping off whatever they printed and assuring them when they ask anxiously if Simon is gone. He reaches the last paper in his stack and freezes. 

Apartment listings in Boston have been printed out directly from Magnus’ computer. He’s serious. 

Before Alec can make a solid, coherent decision, his legs carry him straight into Magnus’ office without even bothering to stop and knock on the door. Magnus looks up, surprised at his intrusion. 

“You’re serious about going to Boston?” Alec demands, waving the paper. “You said you were joking! You can’t actually transfer to Boston, you can’t do that. Everyone here looks up to you! They depend on you! You can’t just leave them!”

“First of all,” Magnus’ voice is scarily calm, “why were you looking through my personal items?” 

“I was helping Simon. He’s too sick to be running around fetching things for people like a dog.” 

Magnus almost perceptibly flinches at that, and Alec tries to make himself tone down the sharpness to his words. He can’t, though, because he’s so angry. He feels like Magnus just lies to him, tells him what he wants to hear, and then acts in an entirely different way. 

“Simon’s job is to assist the office. If you take an issue with that, maybe you should stop using his services and get your own print jobs and coffee and meetings.” Magnus responds coolly. “And secondly, if I want to transfer to Boston that is my choice. I am in no way abandoning this office, and the fact that I’m looking at apartment listings doesn’t mean I’ve already called corporate and asked for the transfer. So before you come barging into my office and yelling at me for what I’m personally pursuing, I’d like to remind you that I am your boss. Understand?”

“Yes.” Alec bites, forcing down every nasty word he wants to yell at the power-tripping office-abandoning jerk. “Sir.”

Magnus smiles. “Get back to work, please. And tell my assistant to please join me again.” 

Alec storms back to his desk where Simon and Jace are languidly swiveling in their chairs and talking. 

“Magnus wants you.” Alec tells Simon. He takes his seat back as Simon collects his binder and tissues and scurries back to his boss. 

“What happened?” Jace presses, leaning across the desk to Alec. “Your face is all red. Are you okay?” 

Alec wants to scream. He’s not even angry at Magnus, if he thinks about it. He’s angry at the whole situation. He’s angry at himself for picking a fight, angry at corporate for forcing this shitty transfer on Magnus, angry at everyone in the office for refusing to help solve the problem. 

A few weeks ago this problem would have come and gone, and Alec wouldn’t have cared how agonizing it was for Magnus to make the choice. Magnus could’ve left to Boston and Alec would’ve been sad, sure, but not as panicked and terrified as he is now. What’s different?

He snatches his phone off the cradle and dials the number for corporate. 

“Alec Lightwood for Luke Garroway.” He snaps into the automated recording. He waits, and the jazzy hold music calms him down just a touch, which is good. He doesn’t want to snap at the only corporate member that he actually likes. 

“Alec Lightwood of the New York branch’s HR department?” Garroway asks after a few more minutes of waiting. “How can I help you, Lightwood?” 

“I’m respectfully requesting that the transfer from our branch to Boston be redacted.” Alec says calmly, and he feels Jace kicking him under the desk. “Sir, with all due respect, our branch has the highest reporting numbers month by month. Every member of our team is integral to our productivity.” 

“It’s precisely because of your strong numbers that we would prefer a member of the New York branch to visit Boston.” Garroway explains. Alec appreciates that Garroway doesn’t talk down to him in the way that Aldertree or the others do. “We need talent evenly distributed.” 

“I understand, sir.” Alec allows. “But can I suggest an alternative? Rather than taking our employees away and possibly risking a drop in numbers, we could maybe do a uh, workshop? Or something? Have other branches come so we can explain to them tips and strategies that we use to increase numbers?”

There’s a brief silence over the line. Eventually, Garroway chuckles.

“That could work.” He remarks. “A seminar. Well, I’ll tell you what Alec Lightwood. I’ll run this by the others and we’ll get back to you or your regional manager by the end of the day, alright?”

“Yes.” Alec relaxes a little, loosening the grip he hadn’t realized he’d had on the phone. “Thank you for hearing me out, sir.” 

“Thanks for calling, kid.” Garroway responds cheerfully. “I was a regional manager not too long ago. I hated transfers. Wish I had thought of this back then.”

Alec hangs up and ignores his brother’s incessant questioning. If Jace refuses to tell him what happened at corporate, Alec doesn’t feel terribly guilty about refusing to tell Jace about this. And he will tell him, just later. When his head isn’t about to explode. 

Alec manages to actually work for a good two hours. He types up his monthly report, answers a few voicemails, and even helps Maia decode a sales report in incredibly sloppy handwriting. 

It’s nearing two o’clock when Magnus summons him to his office. Alec doesn’t even feel nerves as he marches in, ready to take whatever Magnus has for him. Because at least he tried. 

“Corporate called.” Magnus says in lieu of greeting. He sounds noticeably more human, all of the coldness and stiffness of their last conversation gone. “They told me that an employee suggested a great alternative for the transfer. They didn’t say who, exactly, but I have an idea.”

“I thought it was the best route for everyone.” Alec explains. “And I--I’m sorry I got so angry. If you really want to go to Boston, you can. It was not my territory to accuse you of anything or get angry, so I really do apologize--”

“Me too.” Magnus says abruptly, reaching for his coat. “Let’s go get a drink, okay? Simon?” 

Simon snaps to attention at his desk, where he’d been channeling extreme amounts of focus into whatever he was typing, clearly trying to force his feverish brain to concentrate. “Hm?”

“Go home.” Magnus instructs, holding up a hand before he can protest further. “I’m taking Alec for lunch, alright? And then I’ll just be in conference calls, so you can head home.”

“I should be there for the calls.” Simon insists anxiously, though he sounds so exhausted that Alec imagines his body is probably aching to lay in bed. “I can ah--I can-- _achoo!”_

“Home.” Magnus says firmly. “Bed. Rest. No working, okay? None. If you work, you’re fired.” 

“Yes sir.” Simon sniffles glumly, gathering his things. 

“Alec?” Magnus looks at him with an expectant smirk. “Shall we?”

It’s weird. Riding in Magnus’ car and entering a bar with Magnus all feel like events that would happen in a dream. He sits at the bar and waits for Magnus to return from the bathroom, and when he does his tie is loose and his hair is breaking free of its professional, restrictive binds. 

“I lied to Simon.” Magnus confesses as he takes his seat beside Alec. “I’m not going back to work today.” 

“Because you’re about to get buzzed?” Alec guesses, and Magnus laughs an affirmative response. So Alec decides to get buzzed too.

“Can I ask you something?” Alec asks after two drinks. “Did I say or do something that made you upset? Because things have just seemed--different. Since the investigation last week.” 

Magnus closes his eyes and leans his head back. The overhead lights do a fantastic job of outlining his bone structure, giving him a natural highlight that teenage girls on Twitter would kill for. Alec allows himself to label Magnus as pretty in his head. Maybe even beautiful, but that will be after the third drink.

“I was,” Magnus searches for the right word for a moment, opening his eyes again when he’s found it, “embarrassed? When you heard what Simon said last week. The joke about taking you out. I thought it might have made you uncomfortable and I wanted to give you some space.” 

“Was it?” Alec asks, stirring his drink rather than making eye contact. “A joke, I mean.”

“Woah there. One question at a time, please.” Magnus giggles, nudging Alec’s knee. “I’ll ask you something first. Why did you freak out when you thought I was going to Boston?”

“I can’t imagine work without you.” Alec confesses. “Now answer. Was it a joke?”

“No.” Magnus admits. Alec can’t stop looking at him now, the drink forgotten. “Did you want it to be a joke?” 

“No.” Alec breathes. “Can I kiss you?”

Magnus slides forward in his seat and grabs Alec by the lapels of his suit. He tugs, just enough to make Alec’s lips clumsily meet his. Alec feels Magnus’ hand in his hair and he realizes he should put his hands somewhere, so he rests one on Magnus’ waist and the other goes up to cup his cheek. 

He’s not even sure how much time passes. He’s just enjoying the moment, the electricity between them and the realization that this is what he’s been waiting for. And Magnus pulls away eventually, coming up for air. 

He grins at Alec and Alec decides to skip “beautiful” entirely and just go straight for “gorgeous.” 

“I’m definitely not going back to work today.” Magnus laughs, and leans in again. 

 

Usually when Jace gets home after work, he has a routine. 

He gets changed into sleep clothes, makes himself some dinner, and watches TV while enjoying his food. It’s a time honored tradition that Jace looks forward to every day, but today he changes things up. 

He changes into one of his best Izzy-approved outfits, makes chicken noodle soup, and then gets into his car and drives to the destination typed into his phone’s navigation. 

He’s never been to Simon’s apartment before, but he once had to pick Clary up from the place when her car was in the shop. He finds a place to park and embarks up to the seventh floor, finding apartment 77 and hesitating just as he’s about to knock. Part of him wonders if this is weird, him coming to see Simon after work. 

But the other part of him can’t stop replaying last week, when Aldertree had announced to the entire board room that Jace was irresponsible and Simon hadn’t hesitated to set him straight. He’d stood up and calmly informed the board that Jace was a hard worker, a valuable asset, and someone the office couldn’t run without. 

And Jace figures the least he can do is bring the guy some soup, considering the fact that he’d risked his job to keep Jace’s reputation intact. 

So he knocks. 

Simon answers quickly enough that Jace knows he hadn’t been sleeping. He still looks sick, and Jace wonders why he was thinking Simon would have miraculously healed over the last four hours. He’s never seen Simon in anything but work attire, but now Simon is dressed in blue flannel pajama pants and a worn Captain America tee. His hair is messy, brown ringlets falling over his eyes. His nose is pink. The first word that comes to mind is soft, and Jace has to steel himself and remember where he is. 

“You look like a zombie.” He greets.

“You missed me so much when I left work that you had to come see me, huh?” Simon leans against the doorway and smirks at Jace, but he’s noticeably sleepier and less mocking than usual. “I figured. Come in.” 

Jace enters the apartment, slightly awed by the appearance of it. It’s the New York apartment that everyone wants; its small size is more than made up for by its intricate decoration. 

There are vintage-looking movie posters around the parameter of the living room. His furniture is a mix of comfy-looking couches and homey wooden tables and picture frames. He has string lights around the living room that are currently the only light source besides the open windows.

“I assumed you don’t know how to use the oven,” Jace declares as he moves into the small kitchen, “so I brought some soup. Because if you starve to death, you won’t be able to bring me any coffee at work.”

“So you bought it and poured it out of the can into tupperware so it would look like you cooked it?” Simon guesses. “Clever.” 

Jace is saved from having to think of a retort when a series of sneezes escapes Simon. He sniffles and shivers, which makes a spike of worry rise in Jace’s chest for the billionth time since this morning. 

“Go to bed.” Jace murmurs, setting his soup on the stove-top to heat it up. “I’d rather not be infected.” 

Simon mumbles a response but complies, heading down the tiny hallway to his bedroom. Jace waits a few minutes before pouring the soup into a ceramic bowl he finds in Simon’s cupboard and brings it into Simon’s room. 

He’s in bed, technically, but he’s not laying down and resting like he’s supposed to be. He’s typing away on his laptop and there are papers scattered over his blankets, along with a few crumpled tissues and comic books. 

“Are you…?” Jace moves forward to inspect the papers. “Are you filling out sales reports? In bed?”

Simon hums in affirmation. Jace cannot believe this. When he takes sick days, he spends all day on his couch watching NCIS. Work is never on his mind. 

“How often are you sick?” He asks Simon, beginning to collect the papers. Simon protests, reaching out to stop him, but he glares and reiterates the question. Simon shrugs defensively. 

“Not often. The last time was, like, seven years ago.” 

“Okay, so that explains it.” Jace says with an understanding nod. “You don’t know how to be sick. Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. It’s super simple.” 

“Jace, I assure you, all of this work is urgent and I--ah--I need to--ah-- _achoo!”_

“Urgent?” Jace checks the date on one of the forms. “Like this report that’s due next month? You’re hopeless. Bless you, by the way. Alright, step one. No working.” 

He gathers up the papers and firmly shuts Simon’s laptop, moving it out of his reach. He scans the room for any other work material and sees Simon’s bag propped against the side of his bed. Jace drags that away and smiles in satisfaction when the area is clear. 

“Step two.” He says, holding up two fingers. “Warmth. Are these all the blankets you have?” 

“There’s more in the hall closet.” Simon mumbles, looking forlornly at his laptop. Jace retrieves three extra blankets and brings them back, wrapping one around Simon’s shoulders and dumping the other two over his legs. Simon slumps down a little, now fully laying down like he should be. 

“Step three, and you’re welcome for the help on this one.” Jace hands him the soup, which Simon hesitantly spoons into his mouth. Jace doesn’t miss the barely perceptible quirk of Simon’s lips and the quick movement to bring more to his spoon. “Good?”

“Yeah. I really love Campbell's.” 

“Shut up.” Jace shoves him, then immediately feels a flare of guilt when Simon begins to cough. His sick coworker looks up, his cheeks a little redder than they were seconds ago. “Sorry. It’s gross.” 

“I have three siblings.” Jace shrugs. “I’m use to it. Anyways, step four. This is the big one, ready? Rest.”

“I was! I’m in bed--”

“Not good enough. You’ve gotta be in bed, not working, preferably watching TV, no emails, no forms, no scheduling.”

Simon sighs. “I know you all think I’m crazy, okay, you don’t have to come to my house and tell me that I am.”

Jace stops, because Simon genuinely looks upset and that’s the last thing he wanted to do. He kneels down beside the bed, forcing Simon to look at him by manually turning his chin toward him. 

“You’re not crazy.” He says softly. “I honestly wish I was as motivated to work as you are.”

“It’s not like I choose to be this obsessive.” Simon explains. “It’s just--after college I had no idea what I was going to do. I had my accounting degree but I hated accounting and then--then I met Magnus. And he hired me as his assistant and I was good at it, and he made me feel so--so valuable. Like I was irreplaceable. And then I just started working obsessively and I never stopped.” 

“You _are_ valuable.” Jace insists. “But not just because of your work. Simon, you’re more than just your job. People like you because you’re funny and you care about everyone, enough to plan birthday parties, and you’re just a positive person. And trust me, everyone would rather you rest and get better when you’re not feeling well than keep getting their copies.” 

Simon looks at him, looking genuinely astonished. Like no one has ever told him that before. Jace regrets not saying it sooner, because it’s true and he’s known that it’s true for his entire two years of work.

“You’re being so cheesy.” Simon dismisses, but Jace catches the way he brushes a finger near his left eye and smiles a little. 

“It’s a ploy.” Jace says with a shrug. “I just don’t want you dying before you can throw my birthday party.” 

“Your birthday is in April.” Simon points out, which startles Jace. He always assumed that Simon just had the birthdays written down, not committed to memory. “You said I should watch TV, right? Find the remote.” 

“Yes sir.” He scours the room for a minute before finding the remote and delivering it to Simon. Simon nods to the space beside him on the bed, like he’s inviting Jace to sit. So Jace sits, stretching out his legs. Their shoulders are touching, which neither of them really mind. 

“It’s like you’re my assistant now.” Simon remarks, happily. “Find something to watch.” 

Jace settles on the Food Network, and they watch an episode of Chopped with lots of critical commentary. Simon roots for the female veteran who needs the money to pay for her dog’s surgery. Before he can see her win, though, he falls asleep. With his head on Jace’s shoulder. 

Jace doesn’t bother moving. There are worse ways to spend a night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading part 2! As always if you want to talk/leave prompts/whatever my tumblr is @simonlewhiss !


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